Georgetown forward Otto Porter has entered the discussion for player of the year in college basketball. / Nick Wass, AP

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

Indiana's Cody Zeller was the preseason favorite, then Mason Plumlee of Duke was an early frontrunner. Then Michigan's Trey Burke and Zeller's teammate, Victor Oladipo, entered the race.

Now, a name being brought up in the national player of the year discussion isn't someone necessarily predicted to be there heading into the season.

The latest to emerge?

Georgetown's Otto Porter. The sophomore forward, nearly single-handledly led the Hoyas past Syracuse a week ago and did the same thing against Connecticut in double overtime Wednesday.

He followed those performances with this stat line Saturday night against Rutgers: 28 points, eight rebounds, four steals, three blocks, two assists - and just one turnover. Porter is averaging 16.6 points and 7.6 rebounds this season.

He's even won over opposing coaches; Syracuse's Jim Boeheim said this week after Porter's 33-point performance against the Orange that Porter was the best player in the country, and there was "no question" about it.

Georgetown coach John Thompson III was asked Friday how he defined a player of the year. "O-T-T-O," he said, smiling.

Asked how he views the award - should it go to the most valuable player on the best team in the country or the most outstanding player overall, for example? - Thompson laid out his personal criteria. "If you look at what a person does across the board and what they do for their team, how they elevate their team," Thompson said. "How their team does fits into that."

Georgetown is 23-4 (13-3 Big East) and riding an 11-game winning streak, which includes wins against four ranked teams. The Hoyas have done most of it - including the entire winning streak - without the services of sophomore forward Greg Whittington, who hasn't played since Jan. 8 because of academic ineligibility.

Without the option of Whittington, who averaged 12.1 points, Porter has emerged as Georgetown's go-to guy. His offensive efficiency stats - usage rates and offensive rating, per SI.com's Luke Winn and kenpom.com data - are off the charts in Whittington's absence.

"His productivity increased dramatically when Greg Whittington went out," former Wake Forest coach and current ESPN analyst Dino Gaudio said Sunday. "The loss of Whittington thrust him into the limelight. A lot of kids can't handle that, but, boy, he's handled that marvelously."